New maps could

help conservation efforts
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

A state project to map and identify potential conservation areas should help land trusts, conservation groups and landowners select priority areas.

The maps of North Carolina’s natural features will be used to make conservation funding decisions and target areas where the state is either expanding on a contiguous area already under an easement or in the state park system or biologically sensitive areas that are prime candidates for purchase or through working with the landowner on an easement or donation.

The series of maps, known as the One N.C. Naturally Conservation Planning Tool, includes areas near other environmentally significant land that the state is protecting, as well as farms, forests or habitat for rare plant and animal species. The set of six different maps and accompanying study covers biological, aquatic, and scenic assets.

Carol Coulter, executive director of the High Country Conservancy, said the maps will help conservationists project where the state is likely to spend money, leaving other important areas and easements to private fundraising. “I think the main focus of this is where the state will support easements and knowing funds are available for target areas,” she said.

Coulter said each conservation property presents a unique set of challenges, and sometimes the state’s contribution will be more critical than on other properties. In some cases, conservation groups purchase land and hold it for the state until funding is available.

Coulter said the percentage of state funds used by High Country Conservancy varies from year to year, and last year it comprised about half of the organization’s total funding. The state funding will become important as the economic slowdown could lead to a surge of interest in conservation.

“It will be very interesting if development slows down,” Coulter said. “People say there’s a bubble here and development isn’t affected, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

In general, the new conservation maps will also help conservation groups by helping them plan ahead and also letting landowners know which properties might be of interest to conservationists. However, Coulter noted any transaction or easement is voluntary.

“People might think ‘condemnation,’ but we don’t do that at all,” Coulter said.

Land surrounding Elk Knob, a state natural area in the Meat Camp community, is an area in which the state has been expanding. Coulter said the state is more likely to consolidate property and accumulate larger tracts rather than seek smaller, scattered parcels. She said the state was especially interested in protecting ridge tops, and the High Country Conservancy has noted the potential for future easements or purchases to extend the Elk Knob natural area.

Conservation has received increased attention from the state, especially with the state’s population expected to double by 2030. The recent drought has also brought attention to water protection and conservation efforts.

“North Carolina’s population is ballooning and with that growth comes the loss each day of hundreds of acres of valuable farms and forests to roads, shopping malls and housing developments,” said Bill Ross, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in a statement announcing the release of the maps. “These maps give the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and its partners another valuable tool to make the most efficient, prudent conservation decisions for North Carolina.”

The maps and report include six natural resource assessment maps. The biodiversity and wildlife habitat map and the open space and conservation map are already complete. The maps for water services, agricultural lands and forest lands will be completed in June, with the marine and estuary resources map planned for next year.

The One N.C. Naturally Conservation Planning Tool will be updated every six months so that the most recent available data is included. New information and data will be added during the land conservation decision-making process as well. Planning tool development was paid for with a grant from the Natural Heritage Trust Fund and a number of state and nonprofit agencies contributed to the maps.

According to the report, 19 million of the state’s 31 million acres are relatively natural, including forests and wetlands. The study cites a scientific source suggesting 20 percent of natural lands should be preserved to protect ecological functions, water quality and natural resources.